The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Ready To Begin Season At Belmont Opener
8/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Aug. 30, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB cross country team opens its 2007 season Friday at the Belmont Opener in Nashville, Tenn. with high expectations for the upcoming year.
The Belmont Opener will feature several area schools and proves to be a worthy challenge for the Blazers' opening meet.
"It will really be the same as the past few years," head coach Ray Stanfield said. "It's a 4,000-meter race, which is short, but it's good for the first race of the year. It's a little tougher on true distance runners, but I'm confident we'll do well and have a positive result."
Teams expected to participate in the meet include Belmont, Lipscomb, Eastern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
UAB will race at 5:30 with results to be posted on www.uabsports.com to follow.
Last year the Blazers opened their season with a victory at the Belmont Opener with a one-point victory over three-time SEC defending champion Tennessee. Ambrus led UAB with an individual runner-up performance while Elizabeth Hilligoss placed 13th.
The potential for this year's team is particular high entering the season for several reasons. The first is the nine runners the Blazers return this season, as well as two highly touted freshmen runners. Another is the expectation that UAB will repeat as Conference USA champions, with league coaches picking them as the preseason favorite in the conference.
"Our season is just going to come down to being healthy and being ready to race on any day," head coach Stanfield said.
